


Where Gods Fear to Tread

by ninjacat1515



Category: Silent Hill (2006), Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Blood and Gore, Body Horror, Horror
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-01
Updated: 2015-08-03
Packaged: 2018-04-12 09:18:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4473803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ninjacat1515/pseuds/ninjacat1515
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lauren Mallard flees Nightvale when Strexcorp is chased off. But she does not end up in Desert Bluffs. And something is waiting for her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ashes

Her lungs protested the icy air and she curled her lip. Lauren despised the cold as much as her legs had despised the miles she had run. She pined for the heat, the warmth, the   
comfort of Desert Bluffs. At least daylight had arrived and the rays of the Smiling God would once again...everything was grey. What? Grey? A blanket of nasty fog, like a layer of mucous, was coating the landscape. The Light would surely arrive, and incinerate this abomination. She halted her march and gazed up in earnest at the ghostly sky. Snorting, she brushed off debris. Ashes. Shaking her arms, she dislodged more of the meddlesome material. Her hair was now thick with it. Ugh. She would have to change outfits if she wanted to reach her full potential. A good, long day at work was exactly what she needed. being productive would rid the memories of her-shortcomings- in Nightvale, and of this...unfortunate geographical location. Her mind would once again be vibrant and fiery.

The shrubs and dirt had become pavement. Thank the Smiling God-she was home! Flinging her body forward, she jubilantly charged at the fogged horizon. Only to meet a collection of businesses lining a deserted street. This was a small, lonely town. Not the bustling metropolis that was the Bluffs. Lauren bared her teeth, forcing the edges of her maw to turn upwards. There was a golden lining to this! Perhaps this was like Nightvale...unconventional and a bit eerie. Maybe the populace were merely all indoors, hard at work! But the quiet...the quiet pressed into her inner ear, threading a path of numbing tendrils into her brain. There were no running cars, no crosswalk alerts, no mandatory announcements on intercoms, no helicopters, no soft rumblings. No indication anything was alive in this ungodly area. 

A sensation was growing, a crawling of the skin. She was being watched. Lauren whipped about, more strands of hair flying loose from her clip. Something scampered across the street a few yards a way. It was hunched, haphazard, and as grey as the drifting ash. A yawning hole caved in her stomach and she bolted, panting prayer after prayer. It was following her. Forcing her muscles into overdrive, the Strex employee flew along the road, hearing the lurching thuds and guttural wails of her pursuer. Jumping through a door, she slammed it shut and managed to lock it just as the mass lunged. It crashed into the door and gave a hollow bellow. The filth on the window of the door prevented Lauren from getting a clear view, and she couldn't tell if that was a blessing or a curse. The twisted shadow on the other side thumped the heavy wood one more time before retreating into the clouds of ash and fog. 

The woman stifled a raspy laugh, pressing both trembling palms to her face to keep down the roiling boil. 

"Keep a level head, Lauren. Keep a level, positive, head." A good employee was able to handle a situation with cheer, a firm hand, and enthusiasm. 

Letting her core relax, she exhaled, whistling a bit and staggering back; plopping into a worn chair. She couldn't allow this...quaint town to distract her from her goals. She was to return to Desert Bluffs, head held high and admit her failures. She had NEVER failed before. Strex would be lenient. Yes, that's right. Lenient. She was a star employee; a top worker. Perfect in every way. Except she had allowed that little snot faced brat Tamika to gain the advantage. Slumping in the dusty, albeit comfortable chair, Lauren let her head roll back. 

"Just let this day come to a close and allow me to begin anew." A moment passed. And a siren began to sound.


	2. Rust and Darkness

With a twitching jerk, Lauren left her seat at the sound. It burrowed into her soul. The grey light was fading, and darkness was fast approaching. Nighttime? So soon?? Perhaps the horrible siren signaled the end to the daily shift. Maybe people would be appearing now? The old shop she had taken shelter at, was empty and seemed forgotten. The floor was moving. No...SHREDDING away before her very eyes; chunks of carpet and tile peeling and burning. The walls were melting off; revealing metal grating. Lauren braced for the same to happen to her skin.

"Smiling God protect me-Smiling God protect me-Smiling God protect me-" The final layer of darkness descended. And her skin didn't join the remnants of the shop. Fumbling in her pocket, she pulled out her lighter; illuminating the rust infested interior.

She laughed, a flurry of triumph surging. The Smiling God had shielded her. She was safe. Giving a nearby pipe a kick, the Strex employee raised her head high, throwing back her shoulders. When this horrid mess had finally come to an end and she was back in Desert Bluffs, she would inform the higher ups that there was another town to set their sights on, if they so desired. Her shoe slipped on something but she caught herself in time. A pool of blood. She was standing in a pool of blood. It had congealed, and closely resembled the rust that was spread like a disease all over. 

Lauren was used to gore. Desert Bluffs was always partially covered in the pleasing substance. Blood was normally beautiful; a shocking contrast to pristine walls; an intriguing back drop to any conversation. But this was making her stomach churn. It was not calming. It was not beautiful. It was hideous and sickening. What was wrong with her? She wasn't like those misguided Nightvalians. She could handle- what was left in her stomach came up on it's own accord.

A cold sweat covered her frame as Lauren straightened her spine; refusing to acknowledge what she had produced. Strex had an almost infinite number of medications to prevent employees from catching an illness and missing work. She could not recall the last time she had experienced the shame of being struck with a virus or food poisoning. How did people manage? Shuffling away from the room, Lauren set off down the hallway, her little torch casting a golden hue to the glistening surfaces. She dared not venture back outside, at least not through that door. Fans blasted her body with hot air, and she snarled at them defiantly. 

A blanket was draped from a bar overhead. It made brief contact with her arm, and she recoiled with a muffled shriek. Not...a blanket. Her skull pounded with each pulse and she brought her spare hand to her temple to ease the relentless ache. Some sort of machinery aside from the fans had kicked in. A metallic scraping. Groaning, Lauren picked up her pace. At this point, she would have been happy to see Kevin, or at least hear his joyful tone over a radio. The scraping was becoming louder.


	3. Lost

The hallway broadened and Lauren scurried along, stealing glances to the crimson shadows behind. Another corridor branched off, and at the end, a seething mass on the floor was spreading out and rapidly approaching. Insects. Every nerve shuddered and she backed off, going her original route. A metal door offered a sliver of hope. Shoving her way in, she slammed it shut, picking up a discarded pipe and laying it across the frame; jamming the handles and preventing anything from gaining access. Something small sauntered past. A child?

"You there-what's going on? Who is in charge? I demand to speak with management!"

The figure paused, and cast a piercing gaze directly into Lauren's eyes. She fell to her knees, stammering and gasping, the sensation of minute claws gripping her insides and toying with them. The figure, a young girl with hair like melting void, continued to regard her with the upmost disgust. 

"I AM management." The words were firm and full of acidic diction.

With that, the girl faded away like a dying fire. Lauren stared, dumbfounded and shivering. A screech of metal shook her from her stupor. A stained, thick blade was protruding from the door. Had it stood on end, it would have more than equaled the Strex employee's height. It withdrew with ease, before slicing the heavy surface again like tissue paper. Lauren threw herself to the floor as the edge whistled past, inches from her face and hacking the air sideways. The crude gap was now allowing scores of fist sized beetles to pour onto the floor.

Lauren screamed and pawed at the grating in the wall. Heaving her entire frame against it, it caved and she toppled out of the room, crashing to the floor below. But it didn't take more than a few seconds to recover. She gaped at the drop. Her limbs were functioning properly, and while her head swam, she didn't appear to have more than some bruises and cuts. The Smiling God was truly guarding her-wire began to snake about her ankle; barbed wire. It bit into her flesh and held her in place. She unleashed a flurry of expletives; company policy be damned. 

Twisting to the side, she was about to make a grab for the wire when she froze. He was lumbering down the stairs, a mountain of muscle and metal. An excruciating helmet was fixed to his shoulders and head; darkened with age and blood. He bore a broken corpse in one hand, every bit of skin below the head removed; a river of blood trailing his descent. In the other, he dragged the same blade that had laid waste to the armored door. The beast pivoted, and what Lauren presumed to be a gaze, fell upon her. All sound left her body. She could only look on as the horror drew near and finally towered over her.


End file.
